The UK vs the US – the gravity gap
Our good buddies the Aleheads are never shy of an opinion or three, so when the duty rise kicked in at the start of October, I dispatched one of the Queen’s messengers to the colonies to get their reaction. Stateside brews are typically (although not always, of course) stronger and punchier than British beer, and […]
In the toon…on the twiss’
A blogging version of Where’s Wally? Beer bloggers tend to be a friendly bunch – and by and large get on well with each other (unless someone mentions sparklers, CAMRA, cask v keg, ‘black’ IPA’s, or the Oxford Companion to Beer). As such, each year a large group descend on a beery city and attempt […]
Black Isle Brewery – scaling new heights?
Red Kite, released into the wild (etc) For a brewery to make that next step, several things need to happen. Firstly, building on a solid base, to make the leap they clearly need a great brewer. Someone onboard who really knows their onions. From this, diversity is key – be consistent with the flagships, but […]
Minimum Pricing – drawing the battle lines…
After October’s self-imposed month of strong beer – in protest at the UK Government’s raising of High Strength Beer Duty (HSBD) – I’ve been looking forward to a few legislation-free weeks here on the BeerCast. However, last week the incumbent SNP administration re-introduced a bill to the Scottish Parliament involving minimum pricing of alcohol – […]
SIBA Great Northern Beer Festival – Drinking
Following the serious business of judging at last week’s SIBA Great Northern Beer Festival, the next visit was all about sampling the many beers on offer. Returning for a second day – the outside of the Mercure Piccadilly now sporting several identifying posters – I brought along my bitter-loving father to give him a taste […]
SIBA Great Northern Beer Festival – Judging
Judging at beer festivals is always a good day out – it’s a chance to meet new people and put your tastebuds to the test. It also makes you seem important,* and you get to eat unlimited amounts of Jacobs crackers. We rank beers all the time – either on our BeerCasts, on RateBeer or […]
